Happy Tu B’Shvat! Dried Fruit & Nut Chocolate Disks
Tu B’Shvat is here & it is a time for ALL GOOD THINGS!! And nothing is as good as these yummy and very easy dried fruit & nut chocolate disks that I made. I really eat them all year round, I make a big batch the week before Tu B’shvat, freeze part of the batch and when ever I am in the mood for a grat chocolate nibble, I make my way to the freezer and pull one out. DELISH!!
They also make a great gift and are what I made for Shaloach Manot one year PURIM. These wrapped nicely with a great fruity dessert wine, really are a classic and beautiful Purim idea.
for more about Tu B’shvat read here.
Dried Fruit & Nut Chocolate Disks
Ingredients:
16 oz. good quality semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
½ cup chopped walnuts
¼ cup dried cherries
¼ cup diced dried apricots
2 Tbsp. Sunflower seeds
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread walnuts on cookie sheet, bake 10-12 minutes or until walnuts start to emit a nutty aroma. Remove, set aside.
Prepare a cookie sheet lined with 15 standard size cupcake papers.
In a double boiler of simmering water, melt the chocolate. With a tablespoon, divide the chocolate into the cupcake papers.
Before chocolate hardens, sprinkle with walnuts, dried cherries, dried apricots, and sunflower seeds. Let it cool completely.
Peel out of cupcake papers before serving.
Variations:
-Use any kind of nut to your liking, pecans, almonds, pistachios, cashews, or hazelnuts.
-Spiced Chocolate- after chocolate is melted stir in ½ tsp. chili powder and ½ tsp. black pepper. Spread onto cookie sheet. Leave plain or sprinkle with pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts.
-For an extra crunch, mix in rice krispies or sprinkle fruity pebbles on top for a fun look.
